Aspiring mapmakers can get overwhelmed with the task of creating a map all by themselves. Others just don't have time to keep updating a map with every detail requested by the Foundry. Still others don't have access to a good image editing program, or do not know how to start.

If you are interested in being a part of map creation, without the responsibility of an entire map hanging over your head, this is the group for you! We are a collection of part-time cartographers who will work together to produce some of the most mind-blowing maps that Conquer Club has ever seen. Our goal is to be, essentially, the Foundry equivalent of The Society Of The Cooks. We make it easy to get involved in map making by getting your feet wet, without jumping into the Foundry headfirst.

To join this group, go to Control Panel - Usergroups - Mapmakers Guild, select it, and click "Join selected" at the bottom. It may take over a week to approve you, so be patient. Membership requires the approval of pork and me, which you'll get as long as you aren't a complete jerk.

The rules of the group and the reasons for its creation are detailed below.

Our goal is to produce quality maps as a team. We strive to be open to any new ideas and supportive of the maps that we are producing. Each member can contribute as much or as little as they want. Knowledge of an advanced image editor such as Photoshop, Fireworks, or GIMP is helpful but not required. XML programming is also a useful skill.

If you already have a map in the Foundry and you came here for help, start a new topic in the Guild with a link to your Foundry topic and explain what you need help with. We have members who are experienced with image editing, XML, and all other parts of the map making process.

If you have come up with a new map idea, start a new topic in the Guild. The first post should explain the premise behind your map, and highlight any unique gameplay features. A Rough Draft of the map is preferable but not required. Your goal is to find several members (4 to 8 people or so) who will work on the map with you as it goes through the Foundry. Make sure that at least one of these people is an artist who is skilled at advanced image editing. If you are interested in helping someone create a map, let them know by posting in the topic or sending them a PM.

Once you have assembled a team, your next step is to create a First Draft. This is the first test of teamwork, so make sure that everyone gets along, everything runs smoothly, and so on. If there is more than one artist in the group, make sure they can send files to each other using e-mail, MediaFire, or another method. To post images, use an image hosting site like ImageShack or TinyImg.

Once the First Draft is completed, it's time to start the Foundry process! Many people start here from scratch, but you have the added support of your team as well as a First Draft already completed. At this point, the Guild has served its purpose, so the head of the team should start a new topic in the Drafting Room and post the premise, unique gameplay, and First Draft. Make sure to give credit to each member involved in the project, and list who the artists (or artists) are.

From here you will receive suggestions from the Foundry folks. A key to being successful in the Foundry is addressing each suggestion people make, either accepting it or explaining why it's not a good idea. The artists should make a new draft every few weeks (at minimum) if there are changes to be made.

The Foundry, as its name suggests, is a strenuous process. Some maps can take over a year to be produced. If your map loses support and dies, don’t be upset- the majority of ideas never make it out of The Drafting Room. But, if your map makes it all the way through and gets quenched, congratulations! Your creation will be enjoyed for hours by thousands of players.

As some of you may know, a group of this name was created a short while ago, which has since changed its name to "The Map Machine". Porkenbeans originally had the idea; he PM'ed me (we are working on a map together) and I expressed interest. Eventually 10-12 people or so who were interested were brought together. Pork put a certain Sailor in charge of organization of the group, although pork still retained leadership. This was a mistake. Sailor proceeded to make the usergroup, give himself leadership, and demand that all new threads must receive his approval. In the meantime, he set up an inefficient system which essentially gave him control over which maps would be made and which maps wouldn't. An election thread was started by Rocketry without sailor's permission; because he was an illegitimate leader, we felt that we needed a new one. Sailor proceeded to kick pork, me, and Rocketry out of the group, despite the fact that we had contributed ideas (one of the two maps that sailor and his friend were working on was Rocketry's idea, I believe). A few people had expressed interest in me becoming the new leader, which is why I am starting this thread. The old group is inefficient, disorganized, and is not headed anywhere. It's time to start over.

Post here if you are interested in becoming a founding member of our new group.

Aspiring mapmakers can get overwhelmed with the task of creating a map all by themselves. Others just don't have time to keep updating a map with every detail requested by the Foundry. Still others don't have access to a good image editing program, or do not know how to start.

If you are interested in being a part of map creation, without the responsibility of an entire map hanging over your head, this is the group for you! We are a collection of part-time cartographers who will work together to produce some of the most mind-blowing maps that Conquer Club has ever seen. Our goal is to be, essentially, the Foundry equivalent of The Society Of The Cooks. We make it easy to get involved in map making by getting your feet wet, without jumping into the Foundry headfirst.

The rules of the group and the reasons for its creation are detailed below.

Any member can start a thread detailing their idea for a new map. The only requirement is that you provide an initial "bare bones" rough draft. It doesn't have to be good... it can even be made in MS Paint. However, it does need to show territories, bonuses, continents, and anything else you want to include.

The map progresses like this: any eight members who thinks the draft is a good idea (including the original poster) will volunteer to work on that draft. However, at least two people have to have a good knowledge of Photoshop- we need people to draw the map! These people are the cartographers who will draw the first draft and send the PSD file amongst themselves, so they are all working on the exact same map.

Once eight people volunteer, the discussion will begin and the cartographers will begin making their first draft. After six out of the eight volunteers approve of the cartographers' draft (including the original poster), the map is posted to the Drafting Room in the Map Foundry by one of the cartographers. There, it will receive comments from the Foundry folks. Every suggestion that they make should be discussed among the volunteers, and either implemented or dismissed for a reason. Any member is welcome to post in the Foundry thread- in fact, you probably should, if that's a map you're working on! Make sure to keep the Foundry folks updated on your progress.

The vast majority of maps lose support and die during the rigorous Foundry process. If your map makes it all the way through the Foundry- congratulations! You've left your mark on a map that thousands of people will enjoy for years to come. Each member that contributed will be recognized somehow right there on the map itself (it is still to be decided how that will be done), and the member who originally had the map idea will get a shiny Map Contribution Medal for their collection.

Note that these rules aren't set in stone. I'm open to any input you guys have.

As some of you may know, a group of this name was created a short while ago, which has since changed its name to "The Map Machine". Porkenbeans originally had the idea; he PM'ed me (we are working on a map together) and I expressed interest. Eventually 10-12 people or so who were interested were brought together. Pork put sailorseal in charge of organization of the group, although pork still retained leadership. This was a mistake. Sailor proceeded to make the usergroup, give himself leadership, and demand that all new threads must receive his approval. In the meantime, he set up an inefficient system which essentially gave him control over which maps would be made and which maps wouldn't. An election thread was started by Rocketry without sailor's permission; because he was an illegitimate leader, we felt that we needed a new one. Sailor proceeded to kick pork, me, and Rocketry out of the group, despite the fact that we had contributed ideas (one of the two maps that sailor and his friend were working on was Rocketry's idea, I believe). A few people had expressed interest in me becoming the new leader, which is why I am starting this thread. The old group is inefficient, disorganized, and is not headed anywhere. It's time to start over.

Post here if you are interested in becoming a founding member of our new group.

So what are you waiting for? Join today and leave your mark on some of Conquer Club's best maps!

I'm interested in transferring here from the sinking ship you all jumped off. Just a warning, if this one falls apart like the last one did, i'll just drop off the radar entirely and go back to hanging out in the foundry. good luck!

Freedom is a fragile thing. It is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation. Ronald Wilson Reagan

Thank you all for the great response! Soon I'm going to send in the e-ticket for the group. Once it's started, the membership will be by invite only, where you will have to request to join the group to be let in. Sorry, but we need a way to control spammers and multis (there have been a lot of those lately).

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